


second to you

by future_fae_king



Series: demi percy oneshots [3]
Category: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Series - Mackenzi Lee
Genre: Demisexuality, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Percy is awkward, Relationship Discussions, Sharing a Bed, allo people take notes this is how u support your ace partner, demi percy newton, its just a lil bit, monty is emotionally competent for once, not me projecting, so is monty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29514468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/future_fae_king/pseuds/future_fae_king
Summary: the threequel to 'say the word,' featuring early relationship discussions, cuddling, and there wasn't really only one bed but monty wants there to be
Relationships: Henry "Monty" Montague & Percy Newton, Henry "Monty" Montague/Percy Newton
Series: demi percy oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018599
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17
Collections: TGGTVAV Valentine's Collection 2021





	second to you

**Author's Note:**

> really wasn't planning on writing this and then it happened, oops? working document title was "sure sex is okay but have you tried healthy communication"

“Sorry if this is strange, but could I stay over tonight?”

I look up from tuning my violin to stare at Monty. “Why?”

“I just…” he shrugs. “I don’t want to go home.”

“Really?” It comes out more shocked than is probably kind. Monty’s basically spent the last week at my flat anyway—he’s gone back to his father’s house to sleep and maybe three times in the daylight (to get clothes or needle Felicity, once to read Adrian  _ Frog and Toad are Friends _ ). But for all the time we’ve spent together, it’s a new kind of pressure to be asked to let Monty  _ stay over _ . 

“Yeah, I mean,” he shifts from foot to foot. “Obviously I’d stay in the spare room—”

“Why?”

“Oh, I just thought since you’re, you know,” Monty waves a hand in the air, as if to indicate some far-off idea that only he has a concept of. “That you’d want some space.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _ “Monty, we’ve slept in the same bed thousands of times.”

“Yeah, I know. I just didn’t want to overstep—”

“You’re not overstepping.” He looks unconvinced, so I reach for his hand. “Really.” Monty sits next to me on the couch, an arm’s length away. He looks like he’s about to bolt, and I can’t for the life of me understand why. “What’s wrong?”

I’m half expecting him not to answer. But he does. “It’s just, I’ve never… gone  _ slow _ with anyone. And I don’t want to fuck up and make you uncomfortable.”

My heart does a wild vault against the inside of my chest as I’m reminded of last week’s conversation, the way Monty sat in a shop window with me and listened as I came out to him, told him I was in love with him. This feels almost as important, the way he’s so clearly looking for answers to what I want, and I can’t come up with them. 

“I’ll tell you,” I say, slow and measured. “I promise.”

He stares at where our hands are intertwined. “When did you… I mean, I know you said thirteen, but that was… did it click, right away? It didn’t for me—it was like I was tumbling towards it for such a long time, and I didn’t realize until I got there. And then it was everything. You were everything.”

“I mean, I wasn’t  _ in love _ at thirteen. Can you even be properly in love at thirteen?” 

Monty laughs. “I thought I was half the time.” 

“Right, but you weren’t.” 

“God, no. That would be horrifying—can you imagine being in love with  _ Richard Peele _ ?”

“Ew. Although thirteen year old Monty was a twat too.”

Monty scoffs, slapping me lightly on the shoulder. “Dickhead.” 

“Monty. You dressed like a neon highlighter. You asked Theodosia Fitzroy to the school dance for me.” I grin. “You’re lucky I’m very very gay, or else I would’ve been upset when she ditched me.”

“Okay, okay, we’ve established that thirteen was not my best year. That didn’t seem to stop you.”

“It did not.” I shift to pull him against my chest and drop a kiss on the crown of his head. “Nor did the excessively descriptive stories of what you got up to with Sinjon while you were away at school. Could’ve done without that.”

He turns to look me in the face, eyes wide, and starts playing with the hem of his jumper. “Oh God. Sorry.  _ Sorry _ . You could’ve told me to stop. You can always tell me to stop. If I’d known that made you uncomfortable, I swear I would’ve shut my mouth.”

“Not uncomfortable, love.” I smile and brush a bit of his hair out of his eyes. “Just jealous.”

“See, that’s where I don’t get this. If you’re ace, why  _ wouldn’t _ you be uncomfortable? It’s not like I had much of a filter,” Monty bursts out. He seems to realize what he’s said, then stills. “Sorry.”

“You haven’t got anything to apologize for.”

“I shouldn’t pry. It’s not really my business.” Monty carefully dislodges himself from the mess of limbs we’ve created and retreats to the other side of the sofa. “It’s just—you’re important to me. And I like knowing what goes on in your head. But I understand if—”

“Jesus, Monty, you don’t need to walk on eggshells around me.” He shrinks back, and I scramble to correct myself. “I mean, you don’t have to be worried I’ll be angry at you for asking questions. God, we’re horrid at this, aren’t we?”

He snorts, running a hand through his hair. “Talking to each other? Yeah, you think we’d have it figured out after twelve years.” 

“Right?” I reach for his hand again. “Seriously, though. If you have questions, you can ask.”

“Alright. Are you attracted to me?”

I laugh, falling back onto the cushions. “Wow, right at it.”

“I’m sorry!” He gives me a sly smile. “I thought it was relevant.”

“Well,  _ obviously _ you goose.”

“Is that an obviously-you’re-attracted-to-me or obviously-it’s-relevant?” Monty leans forward, propping his chin up on his fist and grinning.

“Obviously I’m attracted to you,” I say with a huff. “Obviously. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

I feel myself blush, and Monty wiggles his eyebrows. “Good to know.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Monty kisses me, and when he pulls away he’s got a contemplative look on his face, his eyebrows furrowed. “Okay, so you’re attracted to me. And so that means what?”

I know what he’s asking, but I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to have this conversation. Although, the last difficult conversation we had ended with us kissing in a shop window, so. “What do you mean?”

“Like…” He bites his lip. “What’s okay? What makes you uncomfortable, what’s off the table, so I know. So I don’t fuck up.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never— I mean, I don’t— you know?”

Monty laughs. “I don’t. I was just wondering, since I sort of asked to stay over...” His voice bends up in an unspoken question, accompanied by a hopeful little smile.

“Oh.” Shit. 

He must see something of my panic in my face, because he starts backtracking immediately. “Never mind. Sorry. I totally get it if you don’t want to. I can stay on the couch! Or in your bed, and we can lay two feet apart in rigid silence, or I can go home. Anything works, really.”

And he looks so genuinely disappointed. And I’m so angry that I can’t get past the pressure and the nerves and the second-guessing to do this one thing that he so clearly wants. That I think I want too. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” 

“I know,” I take a shaky breath. “I know that when you imagined us, being together, this wasn’t how it went. And I’m sorry that I’m a bit disappointing.” I feel myself curling inward, shrinking away from Monty. “I think I’ll get there, eventually. I think. I’ll try.”

“Percy,” he says, and I look up to meet his eyes again. “Darling, you could never disappoint me.” I start to speak, but I fall silent when he reaches out to cup my face with his hands. “I really should’ve said this from the start.” He laughs quietly. “Like I said, I’ve never gone slow. But don’t you dare try to force yourself into anything you don’t want just because I do. Okay?”

“Okay.” I turn away.

“And don’t ever worry that you’re not enough.”

“It’s just… this is a big deal. To you. Right?” I look to him for some sort of confirmation, but he just stares back at me. “And I want you to be happy. And I know that it’s not ideal, to have a boyfriend who can’t figure out if he wants to sleep with you—”

“ _ Percy _ .”

Shit, am I crying? I think I’m crying again. Shit. “—and so I totally understand if you want to stop.”

“Stop?”

I scrub at my eyes with my sleeves, and when I speak again, I sound choked up. God, this is not how I wanted this to go. “You know. See other people.”

Monty reaches out to take my hands, and his eyes are gleaming as he says softly, “Everything is always second to you.” 

I stare at my lap as he moves to wrap his arms around me. His hair is soft, and he’s warm, and he feels like home in a way I can’t explain. I bury my face in his shoulder, curling around him and letting him hold me for a moment. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Perce. You’re stuck with me now.”

I laugh, although it comes out sounding wet and choked, and pull back to kiss him. He beats me to it. I can feel him smiling against my lips.

“Do you want to go to bed?” he asks. “It’s late.”

I twist a lock of his hair between my fingers. “It’s only twelve fifteen.”

“Yes, but I’m tired and I don’t want to leave you up by yourself because you’ll start playing the violin or overthinking.” Monty kisses my forehead, and I swear to God it’s like I melt under his touch.

“Mm. Alright. Do you want to borrow one of my shirts to sleep in?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” 

Five minutes later, I’ve got the blankets pulled up to my chin while Monty stumbles around in the dark. He trips and lands on me, cursing, and I laugh as I roll him over to the space next to me. He settles facing me, our legs tangled together and his hands in my hair. 

I sigh. “Goodnight, Monty.”

He bumps his nose with mine. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

And laying there with the boy I love is far more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! : )


End file.
